play the game
by withrewings
Summary: Remus's proposal to Sirius, 1980.


"James. James," Remus hissed, tapping James on the shoulder. James turned, grinning at Remus, a drink in his hand. Remus gestured for James to follow him, not waiting for an answer before turning.

Remus lead James to the closest empty room and cast Muffliato a few times to be extra sure they wouldn't be overheard. His hands were shaking - with excitement or nerves, he couldn't tell - and his cheeks were hurting from smiling. "I'm doing it, Prongs."

James raised an eyebrow. "Doing what?" He asked, motioning with his hand for Remus to continue. Remus's smile turned into a smirk as he reached into his jacket's inside pocket, pulling out a small, velvet-covered box.

"This." Remus opened the box, showcasing the ring inside. James gasped dramatically, placing both hands over his heart.

"I'm truly flattered, Moony, but I have a wife." James pouted, and Remus hit his shoulder playfully. They both laughed, then Remus shook his head and slipped the box back into his pocket.

"Do you think he'll say yes?" Remus asked seriously, and James rolled his eyes, putting his hands on Remus's shoulders.

"If you can think, for even a second, that he'll say no to you, Remus, you're more of an idiot than the rest of us combined. All he talks about is getting married and having kids. There's nothing to worry about, Re," James reassured him, and Remus smiled.

"If you say so. You know where we keep the records, right?" James thought hard for a moment, then shook his head. "The closet directly across from the guest room. They're all in bins, organized by the artist. Find The Game by Queen, and play it about fifteen minutes after dinner, alright?"

"Fifteen minutes after dinner, Closet across from guest room, The Game, Queen," James listed off, and Remus nodded in confirmation. James had the worst memory of all of them, but Remus knew he'd remember something as important as this. "Got it."

Remus smiled appreciatively, pulling James into a loose one-armed hug, which was happily returned. "Thank you so much, Prongs."

James shrugged. "What are friends for? C'mon, let's head back down before anyone notices our absence." James pulled back and gave Remus a you can do this look, and Remus nodded, following James closely out the room and down to the den.

"Took you long enough," Sirius teased, meeting Remus at the end of the staircase and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Remus blushed, as he always did when Sirius kissed him, even after five years together. "What were you two doing?"

"Using the bathroom," James lied quickly, and Sirius raised his eyebrow slightly disbelievingly, but didn't press on the matter.

"Alright. Dinner's ready, if you guys are hungry," Sirius announced, and the room was filled with hell yeah's and always and of course, the inevitable, Remus didn't make it, right?

Sirius took Remus's hand as they all made their way to the small dining room table, filling their paper plates with Sirius's spaghetti and sausage. Sirius initially put a tiny portion on his plate, but Remus added more spaghetti against Sirius's will. Sirius scrunched his nose but didn't comment, which was good, because Remus wasn't sure he could engage in conversation, especially not with Sirius.

All that was going through Remus's head was how the hell am I going to do this. He had a whole three minute long speech planned out, but he was sure he'd forget it the instant he pulled the ring out of his pocket. He thought of an alternative, in case he did forget the longer speech, and took a deep breath, sitting down between Sirius and Peter.

The dinner couldn't have gone slower for Remus, even though it was only about twenty minutes. The ring in his pocket felt like a fifteen pound weight, and he couldn't wait to finally get it out and - hopefully - onto Sirius's finger. The thought of what if he says no? briefly crossed his mind, but he shut it down, refusing to think about it.

After ten minutes of all of them uncomfortably sitting on the same small sofa, James caught Remus's eye. Remus nodded, and James stood, listing off the steps Remus had instructed him to take in his head. Closet across from guest room, The Game, Queen. "The silence is killing me, I'm going to find some us some music."

Remus smiled, his heart pounding in his chest as James went down the hall. Remus heard the closet door open, and then a bin hit the floor gently. God, this had better work, Remus thought nervously. He fidgeted with one of the buttons on his jacket, taking deep breaths, in, out, in, out.

"Come help me, Re," James called as he struggled to put the record in the player. Remus did, knowing James actually needed help, and happy to get away from Sirius so he could calm himself down. "Stop shaking. You'll be fine," James whispered, so quietly only Remus could hear him. Remus nodded and placed the vinyl on the old record player, and thought, it's now or never.

Open up your mind and let me step inside

Rest your weary head and let your heart decide,

It's so easy, when you know the rules

Remus shook his head and took one last deep breath. He pulled Sirius up by the hand and looked him directly in the eye, giving him that soft smile he always reserved just for him. Sirius's eyes widened in shock, because Remus was never this vocal about their relationship in front of people, no matter who it was.

All you have to do is fall in love,

Play the game, everybody play the game

Of love

"I remember the day I realized I was in love with you. You had created a little tiny world for me, let me see the full moon for the first time since I was four. For two hours, the full moon had no control. I'll never forget that perfect night." Remus's voice was hoarse but soft as he spoke with his forehead pressed against Sirius's and his arms around his neck, as he swayed them both slowly to the music.

This is your life, don't play hard to get

It's a free world,

All you have to do is fall in love,

Play the game

Remus kissed Sirius softly, then smiled again, and Sirius smiled back nervously. "I love you, Pads. More than anything. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you, whether that be two days or seventy years," Remus finished quietly. Sirius gave him a faint smile and whispered back "I love you too," quiet enough that only Remus could hear.

Remus pulled back from him and reached into his pocket at the same time as he got down on one knee, pulling out a little blue velvet box. Sirius gasped audibly as Remus opened the box. Inside sat a simple, silver ring.

"Will you marry me, Sirius Black?" Remus finally popped the question, and everyone in the room collectively held their breath, the few seconds between Remus's question and Sirius's answer seeming eternal.

Finally, Sirius nodded, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "Yes, yes, god yes," Sirius replied, and while James cheered enthusiastically, Lily burst into tears, and Peter clapped, Remus slipped the ring onto Sirius's left ring finger.

My game of love has just begun.


End file.
